Area codes 212 and 646

Area codes 212 and 646 are the area codes for most of the borough of Manhattan in New York City in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). By area, it is one of the smallest plan areas in North America. It is overlaid by area code 917, which covers the entirety of New York City.

History

Area code 212 was one of the original 86 area codes assigned by AT&T in 1947. It served the entire five-borough area of New York City. AT&T assigned area codes to the large cities on the basis of the shortest dialing time to minimize resource contention and operator involvement given the rotary dial technology of the time, and thus New York received the shortest code.

On September 1, 1984, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island were split off in area code 718, leaving Manhattan and the Bronx in 212. In 1992, 718 was expanded to include the Bronx, reducing the 212 area to most of Manhattan. In 1992, the entire city was overlaid with area code 917, which was initially planned for only mobile service. Area code 212 was overlaid with area code 646 in Manhattan on July 1, 1999, when new 917 mobile numbers became scarce.

Big Sean

Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2007, Def Jam Recordings in 2008 and Roc Nation in 2014. After releasing a number of mixtapes, Sean released his debut album, Finally Famous, in 2011. He released his second studio album, Hall of Fame, on August 27, 2013. Sean's third studio album Dark Sky Paradise was released in 2015 and which earned him his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Life and career

1988–2003: Early life and career beginnings

Sean Michael Leonard Anderson was born on March 25, 1988 in Santa Monica, California to Myra and James Anderson. When he was 3 months old, he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he was raised by his mother, a school teacher, and grandmother. He attended the Detroit Waldorf School and graduated from Cass Technical High School with a 3.7 GPA. Big Sean is often heard saying "west side" in his songs; he is referring to the west side of his hometown Detroit, Michigan. In his later years in high school, Sean gained a valuable relationship with Detroit hip-hop station WHTD; he would show his rhyming skills on a weekly basis as part of a rap battle contest held by the station. In 2005, Kanye West was doing a radio interview at 102.7 FM. Hearing about this, Sean headed over to the station to meet West and perform some freestyle. Initially West was reluctant to hear him, however he gave Sean 16 bars to rap for him. According to Big Sean, West enjoyed his freestyle: "As we get to the entrance of the radio station ... we stopped in the middle of the doorway. He starts looking at me and bobbing his head,". After the freestyle, Sean left West his demo tape. Two years later, West signed Big Sean to GOOD Music.